To flip the current card, click it or press the Spacebar key.
To move the current card to one of the three colored boxes, click on the box. You may also
press the UP ARROW key to move the card to the "Know" box, the DOWN ARROW key to
move the card to the "Don't know" box, or the RIGHT ARROW key to move the card to the Remaining box.
You may also click on the card displayed in any of the three boxes to bring that card back to the
center.

Absolute Rulers

Information on the Rulers of Chapter 17

Inherited Crown of Spain and was heir to Austrian Hapsburgs; gave up empire and divided it between brother Ferdinand and son Phillip II

Phillip II

Sought to expand Spanish influence, strengthen Catholic Church, and make his power absolute; battled English fleet in Spanish Armada and lost

Louis XIV

Ruled with divine right; took sun as symbol of absolute power; appointed intendents to collect taves and carry out policies; lived in beautiful, large palace of Versailles; spent too much money on costly overseas wars

Henry VIII

Broke with the ROman Catholic church to form the Anglican Church; consulted parliament frequently for money; used up funds fighting overseas wars

Elizabeth I

Consulted and controlled Parliament; had great skill in handling Parliament; became a popular and successful leader

Charles I

Dissolved Parliament in 1629 and ruled w/out it for 11 years; Parliament became known as the long parliament, and met on and off until 1653; arrested radical Parliament leaders, but they escaped and started their own army; executed by Parliament

Maria Theresa

Capable and intelligent ruler in line to rule the Hapsburgs; appealed to Hungary for military appeal in order to fight Frederick II; reorganized bureaucracy, improved tax collection, and forced nobles and clergy to pay taxes

Frederick II

Trained in the art of war from an early age, but preffered playing the flute and writing poetry; seized the rich Hapsburg province of Silesia from Maria Theresa; "Frederick the Great"

Peter the Great

Bent on living a western life; sent out to study western technology, explored European cities, noted Western behavior, brought back new clothes to Russia; most autocratic Russian ruler; improved education, simplified alphabet, taught math + science

Catherine the Great

Efficient, energetic empress; reorganized provincial govt., codified laws, and began state-sponsored education; encouraged French language; wrote histories and plays; won war against Ottoman empire and achieved warm-water port